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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

I met Amy Sue Nathan in the blogsphere when someone who
knows I write women’s fiction suggested I check out Amy’s blog—Women’s FictionWriters. The blog is a wonderful celebration of women’s fiction authors,
and a discussion of various writing topics, and updates on Amy’s journey to the
publication with The Glass Wives,
published (May 14, 2013). Also check out her website Amy Sue Nathan.

Evie and Nicole Glass share a last name. They also
shared a husband.When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also
upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost
between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this
heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all. But Evie wasn’t
counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t
counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no
matter how frayed. Strapped for cash, Evie cautiously agrees to share living
expenses—and her home—with Nicole and the baby. But when Evie suspects that
Nicole is determined to rearrange more than her kitchen, Evie must decide who
she can trust. More than that, she must ask: what makes a family?

ZM: The Glass
Wives is a sensitive and truthful story
of ex-wives, widows, and single mothers—and the children who share their lives.
Amy Sue Nathan has a voice that will sweep you into its embrace.

It’s been said that all
debut novels have autobiographical elements. Do you think that’s true?

Amy: I can’t speak for anyone but me, but there is
part of me in The Glass Wives. My ex-husband died suddenly after we divorced,
so that was the springboard for the novel. What does that mean? It’s not based
on a true story, but I got the idea from that tragic event. I promise, I do not
have a young widow living in my basement (I just checked).

ZM: Tell us about The Glass Wives’ journey from first idea to publication.

Amy: Okay, sit a spell! I started writing in 2007,
queried 116 agents in 2010 and signed with Jason Yarn in October 2010, sold to
St. Martin’s in October 2011. Now it’s May 2013 and my book is on shelves in
stores and ereaders!

Amy: I’m smiling, Zan
Marie. Ha, you got me! To me, women’s fiction is simply an encompassing label
for books that probably appeal most to women and are not about romance. I also
like the term book club fiction because books that are character driven and
laden with issues give book clubs some meaty pages to talk about.I can’t believe I’m quoting myself, but here
goes: Women’s fiction is a book where the
main character saves herself.

ZM: I know
you’ve been on the ground floor of the new Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
What’s the latest news about WFWA?

Amy: I know that the
founding team is getting closer to having the legalities worked out so the site
can be launched. I can’t wait!

ZM: What’s next? Do you have
a new book in the works?

Amy: I do! Right now the title is FALLING INTO
PLACE and it’s about a single mom blogger who lies about having a boyfriend,
she achieves internet fame based on these lies, and then is offered a job on a
popular website as a relationship expert even though in real life she doesn’t
date at all—and she takes it. It’s a book about the big and small lies people
tell, and what has to happen for someone to come clean and face the
consequences. It’s also about how our lives online can sometimes overshadow our
real lives.

ZM: Many craft books stress
that writers must read and read a lot. Who is your favorite author, or what is
your favorite genre? What draws you to a book you read for enjoyment?

Amy: I don’t have a
favorite author, but I do gravitate to women’s fiction and literary fiction,
that is something I know. I dabble in reading chick lit, the occasional
thriller, some memoir. But mostly I read what I like to write.

ZM: Finally, what question do you wish
interviewers would ask, but they never do?

Amy: Oh wow. I guess
it would be fun to talk about how exhausting launch week is so that authors who
come after me can rest up now!!

AMY SUE NATHAN
lives and writes near Chicago where she hosts the popular blog, Women's
Fiction Writers. She has published articles in Huffington
Post, Chicago Tribune and New York Times Online among many
others. Amy is the proud mom of a son and a daughter in college,
and a willing servant to two rambunctious rescued dogs.

About Me

Welcome to the Shade, where I push books on unsuspecting blog readers! Because I've always loved words and have written since I realized that the words I love were written by someone, I feel the need to share. Poetry, prose, lyric--it doesn't matter what form or genre. Words inspire, entertain, and enlighten. My writing explores many different forms--fiction, poetry, devotional literature, and history. So, settle in, get comfortable and prepare to find a good read. ;-)